Accelerating Integration with Verastream Host Integrator

Accelerating Integration with Verastream Host IntegratorWHITE PAPERAccelerating Integration withVerastream Host IntegratorHigh-level abstraction is the keyCONTENTSHost Applications: The Nature of the Beast ............ 1An Application Programming Example .................... 2Reduced Network Traffic: An Added Bonus ............ 5Rapid Host Integration: Don’t Settle for Less .......... 5A Range of Integration Solultions .......................... 5About Attachmate ................................................ 5

WHITE PAPERAccelerating Integration with Verastream Host IntegratorHigh-level abstraction is the keyTime is money, and today’s IT organizations have lessof both. Even so, the explosion of customer-facingapplications and the high expectations of technicallysavvy customers leave them no choice. They must givepartners and customers instant access to high-demandinformation and services. And they must somehow doso with the existing skills of their dwindling staffs.There’s also a significant technical challenge: Themajority of business logic and data to support newcustomer-facing applications still resides in hostapplications. And because most host applicationsdo not provide a clear separation of logic anddata, accessing either for integration purposes hastraditionally been a slow, difficult job.Today, Attachmate ® Verastream ® Host Integrator offersa fundamentally new way to integrate mainframeapplications. In short, Verastream Host Integratortransforms unstructured business logic and data intoservices that can be accessed by application developersin a structured way. This paper provides a technicaloverview of Verastream Host Integrator’s high-levelabstraction approach, including how it uses tables andprocedures to accelerate the integration process.Host Applications: The Nature of the BeastProgrammatic access of host logic and data throughthe terminal interface typically begins with a modelingprocess. During this process, individuals familiar withthe host application select screens, define data inputsand outputs, and record user interactions. The resultof the process is a service that encapsulates hostfunctionality. The service is deployed to a middletierserver and accessed through an applicationprogramming interface (API).Manipulating host applications through an API can bea complex undertaking. As Figure 1 shows, a typicalhost application screen may contain several inputfields, data record sets that scroll across multiplescreens, and a range of navigation options. What’smore, completing a host transaction usually involvesinteracting with a series of application screens.Most host integration products provide APIs foraddressing the application at a relatively low levelof abstraction. As a result, the application developerneeds to have a detailed understanding of the hostapplication in order to navigate application screens,enter data, and extract data.Figure 1: Host Application Screen1

Accelerating Integration with Verastream Host IntegratorVerastream Host Integrator, on the other hand,combines a rich set of Java and COM APIs withadded levels of abstraction that completely insulateapplication developers from the complexity of theunderlying host applications. The hierarchy ofabstraction in a Verastream Host Integrator service isshown in Figure 2. Verastream Host Integrator APIsprovide access at each abstraction level.Abstraction Level 3SQL Commands to JDBCThe applicationdeveloper uses SQLcommands in the clientsidecode. Knowledgeof the underlyingprocedures or hostapplication is notrequired.During the Verastream modeling process, hostapplication experts define tables by creating a listof database columns that name the data elements.Within the tables, procedures map data inputsand outputs from any host application screen andautomatically manage all navigation and transactiondetails. Procedures—including select, update, insert,and delete—can be combined to perform a complexseries of transactions.Using the Verastream Host Integrator tables andprocedures, application developers can then work withunstructured host applications just as they would withany standard database. The Verastream Host Integratortables and procedures dialog is displayed in Figure 3.Abstraction Level 2Tables and ProceduresThe applicationdeveloper writesclient-side code thatcalls table procedures.The table procedureshandle screen navigationas well as data inputsand outputs.Figure 3: Verastream Host Integrator Tables and ProceduresAbstraction Level 1Direct ManipulationHost applicationThe applicationdeveloper writesclient-side code todirect each hostinteraction, includingscreen navigation,data inputs, andand data outputs.An Application Programming ExampleThe value of using high-level abstraction tostreamline integration can be illustrated with asimple programming example. In our example, a hostapplication user wants to retrieve information about allcustomers whose last names begin with “w.”When a non-integrated host application is involved,this transaction begins with the user entering the letter“w.” The application then returns a list of accountnumbers for each customer whose last name beginswith “w.” At that point, the user has to manuallyenter each account number in order to retrieve thedesired information for each one. This process requiresa number of repetitive operations through a seriesFigure 2: Verastream Host Integrator Abstraction Layers2

WHITE PAPERof application screens. There’s no way to collectthe information in a single display or sort results byaccount number.When a newly integrated business application isinvolved, the user can get significantly better resultsjust by entering the letter “w.” That one operationyields a complete and sorted list that probablyresembles the table in Figure 4.Account Number Last Name First Name Address 1 Address 220000 Wagy Mark 116 Burnside St Portland, OR 9721920001 Waters Joe 1634 15th Ave. W San Diego, CA 9210120003 Warner Jessica 170 Warner St Warner, MN 2658220004 Wilson Maria 634 E 17th St Taos, NM 9876520006 Winters Shelly 1400 Snowy Lane Portland, OR 3869420007 Webster John 342 N 87th St Seattle, WA 9845620008 Ward Aaron 32 Main St Plymouth, IN 74856Figure 4: Application Transaction Output3

WHITE PAPERThe transaction example presented here is fairlystraightforward. As your transactions get more complex,the benefits of accelerated development affordedby Verastream tables and procedures will increasedramatically.and the Verastream Host Integrator server. The balanceof the transaction processing is carried on onlybetween the server and the host application,significantly reducing overall network traffic andimproving performance.Reduced Network Traffic: An Added BonusRapid application development is only part of theacceleration that occurs with Verastream tablesand procedures.Clientapplication123Typicalmiddle-tierserverFigure 6: Network Traffic Generated by Low-Level DPIsClientapplicationSingle SQLcommandVerastreammiddle-tierserver123MultipleinteractionsHostsystemWhen client applications are written to interactdirectly with host applications, a full network roundtrip is required for each interaction (see Figure 6). Forexample, the low-level API code in Figure 5 createsmore than 20 network round trips.Conversely, when client applications are written totake advantage of Verastream tables and procedures,network traffic is reduced and transaction processingis shifted from the client application to the Verastreammiddle-tier server.Figure 7: Network Traffic Generated by a Single SQL CommandHostsystemAs Figure 7 illustrates, the result of one SQL commandfrom the tables and procedures application code is asingle network round trip between the client applicationRapid Host Integration: Don’t Settle for LessThe speed of business innovation is accelerating atthe same time that IT organizations are being pressedto do more with less. Verastream Host Integrator’sunique database representation of unstructured hostapplications drives rapid integration by reducingdevelopment complexity and optimizing individual skillsets. After deployment, Verastream Host Integratorcontinues to accelerate new application processing viaenhanced network performance.A Range of Integration SolultionsVerastream Host Integrator is part of the AttachmateVerastream legacy integration suite, a complete rangeof mainframe, desktop, and web modernizationtools. Our solutions deliver the full spectrum ofbasic rejuvenation to customized presentation andsophisticated high-performance integration.Verastream-generated services can be mixed,matched, and reused selectively to extend legacyfunctionality to new applications or new users. Nocode changes to legacy applications are required.About AttachmateAttachmate, owned by an investment group led byFrancisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital, and ThomaCressey Equity Partners, enables IT organizations toextend mission critical services and assure they aremanaged, secure, and compliant. Attachmate’s leadingsolutions include host connectivity, systems andsecurity management, and PC lifecycle management.Headquartered in Seattle, Attachmate serves over40,000 customers in nearly 60 countries worldwide.For more information, visit www.attachmate.com.Provided for informational use only; may be modified at any time without notice.Copyright © 2006 Attachmate Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Attachmate, the Attachmate symbol, and Verastream are either registeredtrademarks or trademarks of Attachmate Corporation, in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks, trade names, or company namesreferenced herein are used for identification only and are the property of their respective owners. Patents pending. 06-0056.1106